New Ranking Of Minnesota's Public High Schools Released By U.S. News

TWIN CITIES, MN — These public high schools in Minnesota earned the highest spots in the state in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 Best High Schools.

U.S. News evaluated about 27,000 eligible public high schools nationwide and ranked nearly 18,000 of them.

Here are the top 35 high schools in Minnesota:

1. Nova Classical Academy Upper School — Saint Paul
2. Edina Senior High School — Edina
3. Minnetonka Senior High School — Minnetonka
4. St. Croix Preparatory Academy Upper — Stillwater
5. Math and Science Academy — Woodbury
6. Wayzata High School — Plymouth
7. Parnassus Prep School-Rhetoric — Maple Grove
8. Harbor City International Charter — Duluth
9. Mounds View Senior High School — Arden Hills
10. Eagle Ridge Academy Charter School — Minnetonka
11. Eagan Senior High School — Eagan
12. Eastview Senior High School — Apple Valley
13. Orono Senior High School — Long Lake
14. Mound-Westonka High School — Minnetrista
15. Lakes International Language Academy Upper School — Forest Lake
16. Open World Learning Secondary — Saint Paul
17. Mahtomedi Senior High School — Mahtomedi
18. Rosemount Senior High School — Rosemount
19. Highland Park Senior High School — Saint Paul
20. Mankato West Senior High School — Mankato
21. East Ridge High School — Woodbury
22. Delano High School — Delano
23. Rogers Senior High School — Rogers
24. Eden Prairie Senior High School — Eden Prairie
25. Sartell Senior High School — Sartell
26. Woodbury High School — Woodbury
27. Stillwater Area High School — Stillwater
28. Southwest Senior High School — Minneapolis
29. Lakeville South High School — Lakeville
30. Centennial High School — Circle Pines
31. Maple Grove Senior High School — Maple Grove
32. Le Sueur-Henderson High School — Le Sueur
33. Two Rivers High School — Mendota Heights
34. Washburn Senior High School — Minneapolis
35. St. Anthony Village Senior High School — Saint Anthony

The rankings are based on six performance measures, including student achievement on state-required assessments, graduation rates and college readiness.

U.S. News also considers how well schools serve underserved students, participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams, curriculum breadth and overall student outcomes.

The rankings use data from the 2023-2024 school year and were produced with research firm RTI International.

Massachusetts had the largest share of high schools ranked in the top 25 percent nationally, at 47 percent, followed by New Jersey at 44 percent and Maryland at 43 percent.

Among metropolitan areas with a significant number of ranked schools, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California, had the largest share in the national top quarter, at 60 percent. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas, followed at 59 percent, and Milwaukee-Waukesha, Wisconsin, at 56 percent.

Central Magnet School in Tennessee topped the national ranking, followed by Signature School in Indiana and Julia R. Masterman Secondary School in Pennsylvania.

Signature School also ranked first among charter schools. High Technology High School in New Jersey ranked first among STEM high schools.

The full rankings are available at U.S. News & World Report.